Chicago-Area Family Adventures to Have This June

Summer’s here and that means plenty of family adventure time! If you’re looking for things to do with the kids, you’re in luck because there are lots of fun things to do in and around the Chicago area this June!

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Birds of Paradise

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

2430 N. Cannon Drive

Bring the family to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and go on an expedition deep into New Guinea’s remote rainforests and learn about the exotic birds-of-paradise in their new Birds of Paradise: Amazing Avian Evolution exhibit. Through photos, videos, games, interactive displays and hands-on activities kids will get to see and hear the elaborate and colorful mating rituals and courtship dances, wild calls, and amusing behaviors of these incredible birds. They can challenge their friends or family to a bird-like dance-off in “Dance, Dance Evolution”, act as a National Geographic photographer and test their camera skills as they try to navigate tree branches to get the best shot, and more. Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, Saturday-Sunday 10am-5pm, cost is included with admission.

2. Drop In: Tell Me a French Story

Sprout San Francisco

1943 W. Division St.

A fun way to get some culture and language with your little one, join this drop-in class and take your child up to 3 years of age on some French-flavored adventures. Participants will enjoy French songs, stories, vocabulary, and songs with Mathilde. Fridays from 10:30-11:15am, $10 cash for a drop-in session.

3. Family Explorers Backpack

Morton Arboretum

4100 Illinois Route 53

This is a great adventure to take your 2-6-year-olds on in the Children’s Garden! You can rent a self-guided family backpack that includes science tools, fun props, and guides so you can explore the nature of the Children’s Garden together as a family. There is limited availability and one backpack per up to 5 family members is recommended so plan accordingly!

4. Family Game Night

Cat & Mouse Games

1112 W. Madison Street

Family Game Night is always a great catch at Cat & Mouse Games! From 5-7PM you can bring the kids to this fun store and play something from their demo library for free. It’s especially great for families with kids 4 and older, but is open to everyone who can sit and play games. Maybe you’ll find a new family game you’ll love to play all the time at home!

5. Little Clint – The Story of a Baby Dinosaur

Dinosaur Discovery Museum

5608 Tenth Avenue, Kenosha, Wisconsin 53140

With a little jaunt into Wisconsin, you can have a fun day with the kids at the Dinosaur Discovery Museum learning the story of Little Clint, who was a 3-year-old Tyrannosaurus Rex excavated in Montana, and whose story is now a permanent exhibit at the museum. The exhibit follows the T. Rex all the way from hatching in the Cretaceous period, to becoming a fossil, excavation, the study of his bones, and all the way up to his arrival at the museum. Suitable for ages 3-10 with an adult, kids can enjoy puzzles and activities such as wearing feathered vests and pretending to hatch in the nest, putting on lab coats and peering through microscopes, and even donning goggles and excavating fossils in a dinosaur dig. The Dinosaur Discovery Museum is free and open to all ages, but there is a suggested donation of $3 per person.